Those of you who read our Seven Days posts will know that we've been avid followers of the RIBA House of the Year competition this year ...
Those of you who read our Seven Days posts will know that we've been avid followers of the RIBA House of the Year competition this year televised in a collaborative project with Grand Designs.
Each week a group of houses have been plucked from the long list, houses that fit a certain theme; craftsmanship, urban and country for example. At the end of each program two "winners" have been picked which then formed a final collection of 5 houses from which a RIBA panel made their selection.
With that said we thought we'd share our opinion. Remember it's only our opinion and our selection criteria will be different to the learned fellowes of RIBA and you.
Selected from the country house themed episode and lauded for the unusual roof treatment amongst other things. There were definitely some interesting aspects to the house not least some neat landscaping that proved that this oft neglected aspect of design is surprisingly important.
The house tried to tackle the challenge of making open plan, large scale spaces more "cozy" by some neat tricks including curtains with geometric cutouts matching those in the roof and a wood-burning stove that can be rotated to heat specific areas.
It's real problem was that although clever it was somewhat eclipsed by it's immediate competition (and eventual overall winner).
For us, once we'd seen that "other" place nothing was going to quite match up especially when this was ultimately clever in parts but really was just a gentle evolution of the common two box design.
See more about the house by clicking here
Selected from the urban themed episode this was actually rather cool even if it did feature a couple of stereotypes of modern house architectue; Corten and lots of glass.
The architects had risen to the challenge of building a modern home amongst other traditional houses. Corten had been used to integrate well with the texture and colour of the surrounding buildings. The form of the house cleverly chosen so as to echo the surrounding homes but with a contemporary twist (see those gables of Corten rising over the brick work and terminating in a flat ridge: familiar and modern at the same time)
For us the stand out feature are the punched holes in the Corten cladding. They are an interesting feature in their own right allowing large expanses of glass without invading the privacy of their neighbours or turning themselves into exhibitionists. When the story of how the seemingly random punch pattern was related it was a great example of surprising inspiration and possibly an architect with too much time on their hands.
See more about the house by clicking here
This house met what is likely to become an all too frequent challenge as "we" continue to migrate and consolidate our communities to large urban centers. In this case the house had to be fitted into a very challenging plot that was overlooked on all four sides. Ultimately it did this by eschewing the normal idea of vertical elevations with windows and moving the windows on to the roof.
This house, then, is all about it's roof and the fact that the external roof, comprised of a series of odd shaped geometric features actually mapped directly to the floor plan below.
Our problem with it was that was really it's only trick - when compared to its logical competitor (Courtyard House) it was hard not to think that it only "won" because the panel was obsessed by the oh-so clever roof which detracted from the fact that as a concept for utilising challenging urban plots Courtyard House did everything better
See more about the house by clicking here
Ok, not wishing to repeat ourselves too much, we shared our opinion of this house in part of last weeks Seven Days post. We'll summarise it by saying:
We loved the exterior, it was fabulous, 3 decluttered forms that responded directly to the surrounding farm buildings
We did not like the interior, it had all the problems associated with hard surfacing, lack of furnishing and commercial scale spaces
See more about the house by clicking here
Like the House at Maghera we covered our feelings about this home in last weeks Seven Days post. So lets summarise for those who won't click the link
We loved the exterior particularly the bronze cladding (although we had reservations about just how much it may have cost!)
We loved the ethos of the interior; this was a home that fully explored colour, texture and from the moment they showed the entrance hall it exuded a certain class and cohesive aesthetic
See more about the house by clicking here
There was an awful lot to like about this home. Firstly it was a home that re-used an existing building and in doing so addressed the constraints of re-purposing an agricultural building whilst also taking advantage of the history, material and some spectacular views.
Kevin McCloud described this particular type of architecture as "slip and slide" where a modern building is built within an older one. This is one it's really worth clicking on the link to see more about because you'll see how some very neat detailing of the roof area clearly shows the concept of new in old. Another good example of this type of work can be seen at the Landmark's Trust Astley Castle.
The Mill (and Astley Castle) shows just what can be done with old, decrepit, unused buildings when the first thing you do is not ordering in Downfast Demolition but is instead taking time to really look.
See more about the house by clicking here
Flint House is a home built for Lord Rothschild by Skene Catling De Pena but it's also so much more than that but before we start lets get this out of the way:
This is a home that is not mere evolution of existing concepts, this is something new. This is a home which takes the idea of sitting well with it's environment to a whole new level.
The exterior form is interesting, the exterior cladding is not only beautiful but a testament to true craftsmanship, the use of space both inside and on top is wonderful. This is truly a special building.
See more about the house by clicking here
We still remain to be convinced that the average client can keep up with architects, we see a common theme of beautifully resolved forms, exteriors that are then let down by the interior or simply do not appear to be "homes"
We love Corten but we're already hearing clients refering to it as "that rusty finish everyone seems to be going for"
Landscaping can be a huge player in the overall impact of a house a point well illustrated by the Sussex House
Two common challenges that will only increase are using awkward shaped plots in urban centers and re-purposing old agricultural, industrial buildings. This needs not only vision from architects and clients but also from those agencies charged with "preserving" our heritage
Well a quick round the table was interesting with votes for Levring House, Flint House and Victoria House (not shortlisted but featured). Probably because we're all local to it though, Pobble House in Dungeness just climbed ahead - remember this was a discussion about where we would live!
Each week a group of houses have been plucked from the long list, houses that fit a certain theme; craftsmanship, urban and country for example. At the end of each program two "winners" have been picked which then formed a final collection of 5 houses from which a RIBA panel made their selection.
With that said we thought we'd share our opinion. Remember it's only our opinion and our selection criteria will be different to the learned fellowes of RIBA and you.
Short List Member: Sussex House
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| Sussex House |
The house tried to tackle the challenge of making open plan, large scale spaces more "cozy" by some neat tricks including curtains with geometric cutouts matching those in the roof and a wood-burning stove that can be rotated to heat specific areas.
It's real problem was that although clever it was somewhat eclipsed by it's immediate competition (and eventual overall winner).
For us, once we'd seen that "other" place nothing was going to quite match up especially when this was ultimately clever in parts but really was just a gentle evolution of the common two box design.
See more about the house by clicking here
Short List Member: Kew House
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| Kew House |
The architects had risen to the challenge of building a modern home amongst other traditional houses. Corten had been used to integrate well with the texture and colour of the surrounding buildings. The form of the house cleverly chosen so as to echo the surrounding homes but with a contemporary twist (see those gables of Corten rising over the brick work and terminating in a flat ridge: familiar and modern at the same time)
For us the stand out feature are the punched holes in the Corten cladding. They are an interesting feature in their own right allowing large expanses of glass without invading the privacy of their neighbours or turning themselves into exhibitionists. When the story of how the seemingly random punch pattern was related it was a great example of surprising inspiration and possibly an architect with too much time on their hands.
See more about the house by clicking here
Short List Member: Vaulted House
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| Vaulted House |
This house, then, is all about it's roof and the fact that the external roof, comprised of a series of odd shaped geometric features actually mapped directly to the floor plan below.
Our problem with it was that was really it's only trick - when compared to its logical competitor (Courtyard House) it was hard not to think that it only "won" because the panel was obsessed by the oh-so clever roof which detracted from the fact that as a concept for utilising challenging urban plots Courtyard House did everything better
See more about the house by clicking here
Short List Member: House at Maghera
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| House at Maghera |
We loved the exterior, it was fabulous, 3 decluttered forms that responded directly to the surrounding farm buildings
We did not like the interior, it had all the problems associated with hard surfacing, lack of furnishing and commercial scale spaces
See more about the house by clicking here
Short List Member: Levring House
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| Levring House |
We loved the exterior particularly the bronze cladding (although we had reservations about just how much it may have cost!)
We loved the ethos of the interior; this was a home that fully explored colour, texture and from the moment they showed the entrance hall it exuded a certain class and cohesive aesthetic
See more about the house by clicking here
Short List Member: The Mill
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| The Mill |
Kevin McCloud described this particular type of architecture as "slip and slide" where a modern building is built within an older one. This is one it's really worth clicking on the link to see more about because you'll see how some very neat detailing of the roof area clearly shows the concept of new in old. Another good example of this type of work can be seen at the Landmark's Trust Astley Castle.
The Mill (and Astley Castle) shows just what can be done with old, decrepit, unused buildings when the first thing you do is not ordering in Downfast Demolition but is instead taking time to really look.
See more about the house by clicking here
Short List Member: Flint House
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| Flint House |
Overal Winner: Flint House
Yes, Flint House, won and we found ourselves in unanimous agreement. Not all of us would want to live there, not all of us appreciated Lord Rotschilds interior decoration taste but all of us agreed that it was what the award should be about.This is a home that is not mere evolution of existing concepts, this is something new. This is a home which takes the idea of sitting well with it's environment to a whole new level.
The exterior form is interesting, the exterior cladding is not only beautiful but a testament to true craftsmanship, the use of space both inside and on top is wonderful. This is truly a special building.
See more about the house by clicking here
Conclusions?
We've enjoyed the journey that this competition has taken us on. Flint House probably will get that "important" qualifier as time goes on and rightly so (yes it's really that good)We still remain to be convinced that the average client can keep up with architects, we see a common theme of beautifully resolved forms, exteriors that are then let down by the interior or simply do not appear to be "homes"
We love Corten but we're already hearing clients refering to it as "that rusty finish everyone seems to be going for"
Landscaping can be a huge player in the overall impact of a house a point well illustrated by the Sussex House
Two common challenges that will only increase are using awkward shaped plots in urban centers and re-purposing old agricultural, industrial buildings. This needs not only vision from architects and clients but also from those agencies charged with "preserving" our heritage
Where would we live?
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| Pobble House |
